PENUMBRAL LUNAR ECLIPSE

The first lunar eclipse of 2009 is occuring now, at 10.50pm , February 9, 2009, at the time this article is being written. The Penumbral Lunar Eclipse, as the terminology calls it, can be seen in Malaysia and other Eastern Asia countries, Australia, New Zealand, Alaska, and Hawaii. I'm glad I saw it clearly with my naked eyes, as dusky shading which filled up about 70% of the bright full moon.

According to NASA, the eclipse's start and end are not visible to the naked eye. No shading can be detected until about two-third of the moon's disk is immersed in the penumbra. Therefore, the eclipse can be seen from 10:00 pm to 11:20 pm Malaysian time or 14:00 to 15:20 Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), even though the times of the eclipse's major phases are as follows:

• Penumbral eclipse starts at 8:38pm M'sian or 12:38 UTC


• Greatest eclipse occurs at 10:38 pm M'sian or 14:38 UTC


• Penumbral eclipse ends at 12:37am Msian or 16;37 UTC

For your information, a penumbra refers to a partially shaded outer region of a shadow that an object casts. A penumbral eclipse occurs when the moon passes through the faint penumbral portion of the earth’s shadow. The lunar surface is not completely shadowed by the earth’s umbra (darkest part of a shadow). Instead, observers see only the slightest dimming near the lunar limb closest to the umbra. The eclipse may be undetectable unless at least half of the moon enters the penumbra.

I'm grateful to have the opportunity to observe both esclipses that have occured this year ie. the Annular Solar Eclipse on January 26 (pls. refer to the article posted on 26/1/09) and this one. There will be another four eclipses to occur during this year:

• A Penumbral Lunar Eclipse 0n July 7


• A Total Solar Eclipse on July 22


• A Penumbral Lunar Eclipse on August 6


• A Partial Lunar Eclipse on December 31

Minda ArRaina will provide information about the above mentioned eclipses closer to the time of their occurence.